The Byzantine Empire

• Excommunication: Removing a person's membership in the Christian Church
• Justinian's Code: the body of civil law collected and organized by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian around 534 CE
• Hagia Sophia: Cathedral of "Holy Wisdom" in Constantinople, built by Justinian

  The magnificent Hagia Sophia was a prime example of Emperor Justinian I's frivolous spending.

• Patriarch: head bishop of the eastern branch of Chrisianity
• Icon: a religious image used by eastern Christians
• Schism: a split-especially a formal split within the Christian Church (1054 CE)
• Cyrillic Alphabet: Alphabet for the Slavic languages, created in 9th century CE by saints Cyril and Methodius
• Pope: head bishop of western branch of Christianity, political figure

• Leadership - Justinian's poor leadership destroyed the economy of his empire and spread his forces too thin to defend his land. This led to the fall of Constantinople, as well as the last remnants of the Roman Empire
• Code of Law - Justinian reformed the laws of the Roman Empire and consolidated them making it easier to understand. He published this code of law for all to see. Some of these concepts of law are still used today.
• Blending of Cultures - Slavs began trading with the city of Constantinople around the middle of the 9th century, where they learned about Byzantine culture. The two cultures soon began to blend ideas, resulting in the development of Russian culture.
• Spread of Christianity - After Russian leaders learned of Christianity, they soon converted, becoming Orthodox Christian. This spread Christianity outside of the borders of the Byzantine Empire.

  Byzantine Emperor Justinian I

1. Justinian's Code: Justinian reformed the laws of his empire, putting together a book. This was so effective that it is still used today.
2. The Great Schism: The split in the Christian church (divided into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox).
3. Disputes Over Icons: Eastern Orthodox church allowed the use of icons, the Roman Catholic church did not.
4. Church Leadership: The head of the Roman Church was the pope, the head of the eastern Orthodox Church was the patriarch.
5. Restoration of Icons: The use of icons was restored to both churches in 843 by Empress Theodora.
6. Spread of Christianity: Religion of Constantinople influenced the Russians, who went on to establish the cities of Kiev and Moscow.
7. Poor Leadership: Justinian drained the treasury with his reckless spending on overly ambitious construction and war projects.
8. Architecture: Church building was one of Justinian's interests, which led to the construction of the Hagia Sophia.

   The Furthest Extent of the Borders of the Byzanrtine Empire

9. Cultural Diffusion: Cyril and Methodious, saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church, developed the Cyrillic alphabet so the Slavs could understand the Bible.
10. Preserving Roman Culture: Justinian preserved the Roman Empire and its cultural traditions by keeping entertainment such as gladiator matches and chariot races, Roman styles of architecture, etc.
    

Justinian's Code